Dunthrand
Dunthrand are a species of silicon-based lifeforms from planet Balboa that form their bodies from the surrounding landscape. They are known for their individualistic, unempathic mindsets and long lifespans that allow them to grow to great sizes. Biology Birth Dunthrand are birthed from the soil of planet Balboa in the form of Cores, hollow boulder-like objects containing Dun, a mysterious "life energy" unique to their species. The individuals themselves have no known means of reproducing among themselves, and as their homeworld has vanished, new Dunthrand can no longer be born. Xenobiologists from other races have theorized that Balboa itself was merely a very large Dunthrand, suggesting that all Dunthrand should have its ability to spawn new Cores. The Dunthrand themselves reject this theory, believing this view of their forebearer to be simplified and insulting, and with their characteristic disinterest in all beings but themselves, have shown no interest in even trying to reproduce. Growth Although immobile by itself, over time a Dunthrand's Core will absorb matter around it, most commonly rock, using it to form a protective shell and eventually, a mobile body. The process is slow, as it takes a Dunthrand centuries to form even a small body, but never ends: Dunthrand will continue to absorb the area surrounding them for perpetuity, just growing and growing, with no apparent limit to how large they can get. The oldest known Dunthrand are the size of mountains, and some believe they can go on to absorb and become planetoids with enough time. As a Dunthrand grows in size, their Core grows with them in order to provide the additional Dun needed to animate their bodies. At rest, these bodies are merely part of the landscape and often undetectable by the naked eye, but when a Dunthrand moves they can shift the matter under their control freely, allowing them to shift their body into any shape. Taking on the appearance of their surroundings causes individual Dunthrand to develop vastly different appearances and abilities. For example, a Dunthrand from a volcanic landscape will feature a superheated Core and molten lava flowing through its "veins", while one from a forest will be covered in trees and be host to smaller creatures. Other known types include glacial Dunthrand, crystalline Dunthrand, metallic ore Dunthrand, and in one unique instance on a junk planet, a mechanical Dunthrand. Death Dunthrand need nothing but their internal flow of Dun to live: they have no organs and do not require sustenance, respiration or any outside element to survive. They cannot even die of old age but continue living indefinitely, a fact that has garnered them a reputation as immortal. This isn't quite true, however: while Dunthrand cannot die of "natural" causes, they will perish if their Core is ruptured, causing their Dun to be exposed to the outside world and extinguishing the mysterious energy immediately. The threat of Core rupture is mostly relevant to younger Dunthrand and their undeveloped outer layers: older and larger individuals have their Cores hidden deep within rock or other materials. Society Dunthrand have an extremely individualistic mindset: they live only for themselves, and have no understanding of relationships, be it friends, family, alliances or even kinship among their own race. As such, they have no common society to speak of, with each individual Dunthrand seeing the others as mere background noise in a their own life. This mindset applies to all other beings: superior or inferior, fellow Dunthrand or alien, complete stranger or familiar face, a Dunthrand will not care in the slightest who you are. Dunthrand live only to grow, and will not pay attention to anyone or anything as long as they're left in peace to absorb the landscape around them. How their minds work during this time is unknown, but they claim to be contemplating something. When two Dunthrand grow in the same area, they will inevitable try to absorb the same land and come to conflict. Almost always, the older and larger Dunthrand wins, and the loser either dies in battle or is forced to travel to a new land. Language Dunthrand cannot vocalize, but communicate by sending vibrations of various frequencies through the ground. These vibrations are hardly noticeable when emitted by smaller individuals, while larger Dunthrand can cause earthquakes by merely having a conversation. Other races can only communicate with Dunthrand through use of specially designed seismotranslators. Since Dunthrand don't care much for talking to each other to begin with, exactly how they developed a language to begin with is a mystery, they themselves claim to have known it since birth. Dunthrand language has no word for "we". Dunthrand and other races Dunthrand do not understand the communities and civilizations built by other races in the galaxy, and have no interest in learning about them either. In turn, social species have trouble understanding the Dunthrand mindset, finding them to be apathetic and completely void of empathy. Attempts by these races at teaching Dunthrand about the value of teamwork has met with limited success, as the rock giants lose interest as soon as they're faced with an action that doesn't immediately benefit them, and all trade attempts or alliances are quick to break down. Conflicts between Dunthrand and alien races are rare, as they seldom cause trouble as long as they're left alone to grow in peace, but occasionally a Dunthrand will grow past legal borders and absorb land belonging to someone else. Vice versa, other races sometimes attempt to claim, mine or colonize land belonging to--or consisting of--a Dunthrand. History Ancient times Balboan Exodus Modern times Category:Species